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4th wall clues
This topic refers to clues that are only noticeable by player, and not necessarily character in the game. They may require the player to read documents, die, or pay attention to the game's scoring system. Save early and save often, because you never know how the clues will appear. Via documentation or boxes *KQ6 comes with a Guidebook to the Land of the Green Isles for the player to read, and also offers clues to solving several puzzles (as a form of copy-protection). Alexander is able to solve these puzzles without actually 'having a copy' of the book on his person. The Companion subverts this by saying that he had a copy of the guidebook before he came to the Green Isles and memorized it, though he had lost the copy when his ship went down. *John Williams mentioned in an InterAction article that sometimes the boxes contain clues. For example in KQ2 you can see a picture of Pegasus where the snake is located in the game, which might offer a clue to vigilant players that not everything is what it seems (nothing is as it appears), and try something they might not have thought of on their own. *The magic map in KQ3 is well hidden, and only the box talks about its existence. Without that clue on the box, many players might simply overlook the map.. *The Spellbook in KQ3 manual offers the player knowledge of 90% of the items in the game, and how the spells can be used to get past obstacles, offering hints for most of the game's puzzles. It can actually be read before the player discovers the book in the game itself. Via cutscenes This refers to clues only seen via cutscenes, that the character would not actually see themselves. *In KQ6 if the player is paying attention to the cutscenes between Abdul Alhazred and Shamir in the wizard's office they will notice what genie's bottle looks like. Even if Alexander is not there himself. This is subverted in the novel, as Alexander actually visits Abdul's office when speaking to the wizard, and see's the bottle there. By Death These are clues that only noticeably by first being killed (often linked to Dead ends) and require the player to reload to an earlier point in the game. Save early and save often, using multiple save spots to avoid having to completely restart the game from the beginning. *If Graham is captured by the innkeepers in KQ5, if the player is paying attention they might have noticed an inconspicuous rat hole just behind the tied rope where Graham is left, before the death message pops up. *Trying to open the bottle in KQ5 shows you what the bottle is capable of doing (releasing a genie), in the process of leading to a death scene, which can offer a clue to what it could be used for if only to trap someone else. *Dieing any time in KQ6, shows a cutscene of Alexander being taken to the Land of the Dead and giving a ticket to the gatekeepers. This offers a clue to a future event. *The player may wander into the Dark Forest and get transformed into a toad (death scene), offering a clue that they need to find something that can block magic spells. Granted Cedric does warn about entering the woods before hand as an extra measure to inform of the dangers lieing there. Via scoring *As Graham enters the mountains they wil be warned about their hunger, some players might figure that pie is a good way to feed this hunger, and allow them to go on. An astute player will notice though that eating the pie lowers their score in the game, where as eating the lamb leg raises their score (along with an audible jingle). This is a subtle clue that the pie is not to be eaten. *In KQ2 the player loses points if they use treasures to solve puzzles. Offering a clue that they need to look for a better option. *In KQ1SCI certain actions cause a reduction in points, rather than giving points (such as in killing the Dragon or giving away treasures). This is also a subtle clue that there is a better choice to be made. In the original version Graham would still earn points for 'negative' actions, but less points if he had chosen a more optimum solution. See Violence.